2012年11月7日星期三

When e-bikes first really emerged in the US market in the 1990s, there were a handful of generic models available for sale. Merida, Currie, Yamaha, and Honda were all players, but no one model stood out from the others in terms of appearance, performance, and capability. People came into retail locations to buy an e-bike, not a Yamaha. Things have changed since those early says, but theres still a long way to go.Now there are over 40 companies situated and selling (or getting ready to) e-bikes in the US:Specializing their productsThe competition is growing and with it, differentiation. Appearance, performance and capability matter now. US consumers are becoming more discerning regarding e-bikes and manufacturers are stepping up to set them apart. Targeting commuters, baby boomers, extreme riders, green enthusiasts, and more, e-bike companies have started specializing their products to appeal to specific groups, and people are noticing.In an age where you can easily change the color of your cell phone, laptop, tablet, etc. the US electric bike market has woken up to the fact that consumers are demanding customization and personalization. Instead of shopping for an electric bike, todays consumers are shopping for color, style, graphics, and fun accessories in order to project their own uniqueness out into a world that has become very busy.Gone are the days of all e-bike manufacturers using generic bicycle frames, you know the one: not quite a mountain bike, not quite a cruiser, not quite a road bike. E-bikes are finally showing some personality, like the people who own them.Performance will always be a key factor for US consumers when considering the purchase of an ebike. Unfortunately, e-bikes in the USA have had a notoriously bad reputation for poor function. Good ones are available now, but they are mixed in with products that are still under performing and unreliable.The problem has been that the US consumers (and bike brand buyers) demand for a low, low price continues to pull junk into the e-bike market. And theres not much to be done about that. There will always be a market for a cheap, poorly made products (as it is with virtually every other product on the market). The good news is however, there are plenty of well-made, good-performing e-bikes to choose from and plenty of ways for consumers to find them.Rules & RegulationsThe laws governing the power and speed of e-bikes in the US (HR 727) have not wavered since being adopted in 2002. Motor power in the USA can be as high as 750 Watts and most brands have found that this is more than is needed. So e-bike motors range from 250 Watts to 750, with the bulk being 500 Watts or less. And the majority of e-bikes have a top speed of 20 mph (32 kmh), since the law prohibits anything faster.Some ebike functionality has definitely seen improvements over the years. For instance, the computer display has evolved into a smart display. They can calculate not only speed and distance, but heart rate, calories burned, and carbon emissions saved, etc. With some, you can download your trip information to your computer and have a record of all of your rides.Several brands in the US are also now offering two different methods of power: pedal assist as well as throttle on demand power. These options give consumers more flexibility in the way they ride as well as the possibility to increase their range. There are usually two types of riders of e-bikes those who pedal and those who do not. This feature satisfies both needs.US distribution of e-bikes has stayed fairly constant over the years, with the majority of product being sold through IBDs and online. There is also a good amount sold through LEV specialty retailers and big box stores.But be prepared for other channels to open up in the next few years, as e-bikes find space in ATV/UTV stores, auto dealerships and other transportation outlets.

All in all, e-bikes have come a long way since their introduction into the US marketplace. But they still have a long way to go.

2008年4月6日星期日

Who would have thought that tennis could be rescued by Nikolay Davydenko?These are testing times for the sport with match-fixing investigations, suspensions for unknown players caught having a few cheeky bets, a 2008 calendar which looks more unworkable with every inspection and a court case which threatens to undermine the power of the most powerful man in the sport.And then along comes Nikolay, a slim-line Russian with a receding hairline, to wow us all with some of the most exhilarating attacking tennis we抳e seen for ages and the troubles seem momentarily forgotten.Having received a bye through the first round of the Sony Ericsson Open, Davydenko needed to save match points in his first two rounds before things went crazy - as soon as he was scheduled for the centre court in fact. He took apart Janko Tipsarevic in the quarter-finals, reducing the Serb to a watching statue by the end, elevated his game further to dispatch Andy Roddick in the semis and then, in the performance of his life, took apart Nadal in the final with some startling angles and winners.As he celebrated, grinning in the centre of the court, more than 10,000 Americans rose to give him the warmest standing ovation of his career. It looked rather incongruous but it was thoroughly appropriate. Davydenko, don抰 forget, has been hung out to dry since August when a bookmaker told the world that a match he surprisingly lost in Poland was being investigated for unusual betting patterns. The finger of suspicion has been pointing his way ever since and the investigation continues, still without sign of imminent conclusion.The ATP stresses that it抯 an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding that match in Sopot rather than into Davydenko specifically. They say there抯 no deadline and the work continues behind the scenes to establish the truth. But on the evidence of yesterday, Davydenko is going to be challenging for Grand Slams this year and imagine the confusion and potential embarrassment if a major winner was still under scrutiny in a betting controversy.The reporters from outside tennis descend on the Grand Slams and this story will be top of their agenda if it抯 still running. Only a quick resolution from here will avoid that risk. There's plenty of tennis still to be played before we reach the next major, the French Open at the end of May, and Rafael Nadal is one of those aggrieved about the 2008 calendar.The heart of this year抯 schedule is more jam-packed than usual because of US College Basketball at one end and the Olympics at the other. It means three clay-court Masters Series events inside four weeks and a hard-court summer which takes the players from America in July, to Beijing in August, before a return to the States for the US Open later that month.Outsiders view this schedule with disbelief. What is the sport doing to itself and its players? People like Nadal occasionally kick up a fuss but the sport continues to have too many interested parties, looking after their own slices of the pie, rather than a considered overview and a realisation of the need for change to protect for the long-term.And that抯 where we hit the really serious issue of the moment. Etienne De Villiers is a man who can see through the haze. When he arrived at the ATP as CEO and president he brought an outsider's viewpoint and set about constructing a vision for a new-look calendar, to be launched in 2009. But the minute he started to use his presidential powers, the mutiny began and two tournaments started legal proceedings against the governing body.De Villiers� plan was to downgrade Monte Carlo and Hamburg, creating more breathing space in that hectic European clay swing. Suffice to say, they didn抰 like it much.Monte Carlo reached an out-of-court settlement last year but Hamburg has its legal documents still firmly in the in-tray of the Courts of Delaware. Poor old Hamburg. It抯 a nice tournament with a great history in German, European and world tennis but unfortunately we can抰 have three Masters Series events in four weeks. It抯 just stupid. One has to go, it will be a great loss, but it抯 for the greater good.However, if the German lawyers are successful with their anti-trust legal case, it will effectively rip up the proposed 2009 calendar and De Villiers� vision will be in shatters. How typically tennis. Another settlement seems likely, with Hamburg switching to July and probably some hefty compensation in return, but how can tennis change for the better if every radical proposal is challenged in the courts? And then just as we were worrying about things a little too much, along came Nikolay with his one racket, his spitting-image brother and his wonderful forehand. A stadium of Americans was brought to its feet. He even cracked some gags in the press conference.Strange times these.

Nikolay Davydenko yesterday produced one of the best performances of his career to win the Masters Series title with a stunning 6-4, 6-2 victory over Rafael Nadal. The Russian has been obliged to live under a large and depressing cloud for many months and will probably remain the object of speculation until long after the ATP's verdict on alleged corruption in betting is given, but all that was temporarily forgotten yesterday in the final, his first against the world No2.

His performance will, however, draw more attention to the player who has had to live with constant doubt during the months the investigation has been going on. He has had his family phone numbers demanded of him, aggressive questioning from the media, and even an umpire who decided to lecture him on how to serve better, suggesting he did it "like me".Davydenko seems to have survived with satirical humour - "I don't think about the investigation. I think my lawyer should think about it, or my manager," he sighed - with the fighting qualities for which many of the Russians are known, and with even greater attention to making his game more aggressive and consistent.He hits flat, forcefully and with clever tactical variations. Nadal could not do those things, though he clearly tried to beef up his topspin, containing game with more positive intent. But he made mistakes when he did.After a shaky start, in which Davydenko looked likely to fall behind and once missed a smash from within a few feet of the net, he was superb, going from strength to strength after saving break points against him in the seventh game.He then broke Nadal to love, consolidated by holding his next service game to love, and never looked back. "He played unbelievable tennis," admitted Nadal.Even Davydenko seemed shocked to be holding the trophy. "It is surprising for me to stand here, it is crazy," he said, before revealing that he had played the entire tournament with only one racket. "I only have one racket and I played three sets in virtually every match. Thankfully I didn't break a string."Davydenko and Nadal are among the 20 leading players who have posed a threat to Etienne de Villiers' leadership of the men's tour. They have signed a letter to the ATP board, of which De Villiers is chairman, demanding that the South African's contract not be renewed at the end of the year without a proper application process.This increases the possibility that De Villiers will pay with his job for making some controversial decisions, which have included the abandonment of a round-robin system in Las Vegas last year and the attempted downgrading of two popular clay-court events.Davydenko and Nadal are two of the three top-ranked players - Roger Federer is the third - who criticised De Villiers last year at a press conference called to discuss the proposed demotion of Monte Carlo and Hamburg. The ATP is facing one costly lawsuit over the German tournament's future, which will be heard in Delaware in June, and may face another from Davydenko if the investigation into corrupt betting fails to implicate the Russian.Nadal is also upset at this year's calendar change which has brought three clay-court Masters Series tournaments together in four potentially exhausting weeks this month and next. "For me it's terrible," the Spaniard said.

2008年3月23日星期日

Reproduction lampsThe Antique & Vintage Lamp Co has enlarged its range of table lamps to now include an impressive collection of reproduction lamps.Thge reproduction lamp range is proving popular with not only the home decorator, but with professional interior decorators, interior designers and architects with an interest in interior design.

The lamps, fitted with lamp shades, range from 25cm up to 30cm high.The colour range of yellow, dark green, celadon, sky blue etc., includes lamps delicately decorated with subjects of song birds in branches of flowering prunus blossom.

The lamps are mounted on polished oriental bases and are available as single lamps, or as pairs, the lamp situated in an interior, producing a refined lamp in a traditional style.

The beauty of this lamp is that it is suitably adaptable to a wide range of interiors, from traditional, classic, oriental or modern.

Table lamps, carefully placed can literally make an interior by high lighting or soft lighting specific areas of a room.

Table lamps typically can be turned on by twisting a knob or pulling on a chain.Some table lamps are even more convenient. With the slightest touch of your fingers on the metal base, they come to life. These lamps are often called touch lamps.Stores might not carry many models of them, but you'll probably be able to spot a few.''They'll be around because they're really easy to use,'' said Doug Beach, store manager of Lamps Plus in Fresno, Calif.Basically, the lamp lights when you touch any metal part of it, which often includes the base and the rim of the shade. It also usually has three light settings.Beach and Harry Karayan, the purchasing agent at James & Co. Lighting in Fresno, say touch lamps are popular with older people.''Some people, especially the elderly, the simple turn knob can get difficult for them,'' Karayan said. With a touch lamp, ''they would just have to touch it. Also, it dims.''Touch lamps vary in price. The cost at Lamps Plus can start at $24.99. Wal-Mart in Clovis, Calif., also has some touch lamps that cost between $9.97 and $27.87.These lamps might be easy to use, but you can't use energy-efficient bulbs with them. Use the bulbs recommended by the manufacturer for your particular touch lamp.In addition, sensors in touch lamps can be touchy — when the bulbs blow, the sensors do, too, Beach said. He recommends changing the bulbs every so often before they blow.People often don't realize the sensor is broken until they replace the light bulb, he said. ''When the sensor goes out, the light just stays on,'' he said. To replace the sensor costs $20, including the part and labor.If you already have a table lamp at home that you like, you can convert it to a touch lamp. Several accessory options can do this. Lamps Plus has a plug you can plug your lamp into for $14.99, and a light-bulb socket to screw on before putting in the bulb for $10.James and Co. Lighting also has a light-bulb socket converter for $24 and a credit card-size converter that wires into the bottom of the lamp for $40, which includes the part and labor.If you go with the light-bulb socket conversion, realize that it will raise the bulb slightly higher and you might have difficulty with the light shade fitting correctly, Beach said.